HVAC CSR Training – Customer Satisfaction Is Useless

HVAC CSR Training – Customer Satisfaction Is Useless

Yes, yesterday’s HVAC CSR Training message that focuses on satisfying your customers is completely useless. In today’s consumer driven marketplace the HVAC companies who’s CSR’s do more than just “satisfy” their customers are the companies experiencing tremendous growth, year in and year out and have the BEST customers. So what is it that the elite HVAC CSR’s focus on to ensure their customers a more than just satisfied?

The short answer…..the all-stars focus on creating an enjoyable “experience” that is different than any other HVAC company in their area. Call around to local HVAC companies and listen to how they execute over the phone. You won’t get past the greeting alone before you realize that every company sounds the exact same. “Hello, thank you for calling xyz heating & air, please hold.” Or they ask “how can I help you?” If this is what everyone else is doing….STOP DOING IT!

The greeting is one of the first impressions that your potential customers have of your company. Whenever we perform HVAC CSR Training, this is where we start. Change it up, be different, and make sure each first impression is memorable. All greetings should follow some basic steps, which you can use as a basic guideline.

Greet the caller

State your company name

Introduce yourself (your name)

Ask a question to better assist

The greeting should be executed the exact same way, every single time the phone rings regardless of how many calls we have answered so far today, regardless of how busy or slow we are, and regardless of what caller I.D. labels the call. The best CSR’s have a relaxed, controlled pace to their voice with a very soothing/comforting tone. Think about this. When it’s super busy in your business chances are the people who are calling you are stressed out due to a system failure. When the call is answered in a “panic” tone (because your busy) this does absolutely nothing to help put the customer at ease. When CSR’s focus on creating a positive experience for each caller, the greeting is typically very encouraging and warm. Here are a couple of openings to chew on: “It’s a fabulous day at…..”, or “We are so happy you called…..” brainstorm other ways that you can greet the caller that are different.

State your company name. This is pretty straightforward and requires no further instruction. However, it IS important to stress that the tone, pace and words that you use throughout the call will either separate you and your company from the competition or confirm the customers belief that all contractors are created equal (apples to apples).

State you name. Tell the caller who they are speaking with so that they can associate with a person and not just a company. I am always surprised at how many times I call a company and the CSR answering the phone states their name so quickly I have no idea what it was, or they fail to mention it at all. People do business with people!

Ask a question: The only question that you SHOULDN’T ASK is: “How can I help you”. Be more creative than that! In our HVAC CSR Training classes our attendees have brainstormed some great ones! Here are a few of my personal favorites, just have some fun with this.

-“How can I make you more comfortable today?”

-“What can I do to make you more comfortable today?”

-“How can I make you smile today?”

-“What is it that I can do to make your day?”

During your next HVAC CSR Training meeting you should play with these four steps and get creative with a new phone greeting that puts a smile on your callers face. Once you have agreed on the perfect greeting, write it down, post it next to every phone in the office and practice it again and again to get the best voice inflection, the most soothing pace, and causes you (and your customer) to smile while stating it.

Here is a sample of a greeting that one of our clients came up with recently: “Hello, It’s another SWEET day at Honey’s Air Conditioning, this is Nancy and I will be exceeding all your expectations today. Where you calling to sign up for our bee’s knees maintenance program or were you looking to take advantage of another one of our sweet promotions?”

As the title of this article states, customer satisfaction is completely useless today. As a matter of fact this is the minimum expectation nowadays. You better make sure your customers are at least satisfied otherwise they will just go somewhere else. The goal in today’s business environment is to create a personalized, unique customer experience that puts the customer at ease and drives customer loyalty.

CUSTOMER LOYALTY IS THE GOAL IN BUSINESS TODAY! Who doesn’t want a database of loyal customers who enjoy working with you, your company and your employees?

NEVER put incoming callers on hold prior to giving them a chance to respond to your request!

NEVER answer the phone with ANYTHING (other than your teeth & tongue) in your mouth!

NEVER eat, drink or chew while in conversation!

NEVER state “I don’t handle that” or “I don’t know” or “I can’t do that”

NEVER answer the phone with rush and panic in your voice

NEVER answer the phone WITHOUT A BIG FREAKING SMILE on your face!

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